Articles: ninos.
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Observational Study
A panel of eight mRNA signatures improves prognosis prediction of osteosarcoma patients.
Genetic alterations are vital to the progression of osteosarcoma carcinoma. The present study investigated a panel of gene signatures that could evaluate prognosis in osteosarcoma based on data from the Therapeutically Applicable Research To Generate Effective Treatments initiative. Osteosarcoma messenger RNA (mRNA) profiles and clinical data were downloaded from the therapeutically applicable research to generate effective treatments database. ⋯ Further, the biological processes and signaling pathways of the eight-mRNA signature were reviewed using Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes resources. Finally, the results of the TCGA analysis were verified by other cohorts from Gene Expression Omnibus database. The identification of an eight-mRNA signature not only provides a prognostic biomarker of osteosarcoma but also offers the potential of novel therapeutic targets for its treatment.
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Decision-making to stop cancer treatment in patients with advanced cancer is stressful, and it significantly influences subsequent end-of-life palliative treatment. However, little is known about the extent to which the patient's self-decisions influenced the prognostic period. This study focused on the patient's self-decision and investigated the impact of the self-decision to stop cancer treatment on their post-cancer treatment survival period and place of death. ⋯ The median survival period was significantly shorter for patients who died at UFH (UFH: 30.0 days; other institutions/home: 161.0 days; P < .001). Significantly longer post-cancer-treatment survival period and higher home death rate were observed among patients whose cancer treatment was terminated based on their self-decision. Our results provide clinical evidence, especially in terms of prognostic period and place of death that support the importance of discussing bad news, such as stopping cancer treatment with patients.
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The incidence of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) is increasing higher in non-neutropenic patients. This study aimed to assess the diagnostic performance of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Galactomannan (GM), serum GM, and 1,3-β-d-glucan (BDG) in non-neutropenic respiratory disease patients with IPA. ⋯ The optimal cutoff value of BALF GM was 0.6, wherein the sensitivity reached 78.3% and the specificity reached 95.4%. Given the extremely low sensitivity of serum BDG at different cutoff values (≥10 μg/mL = 5.3%, ≥20 μg/mL = 2.1%), it cannot be used as a preferred biomarker. The diagnostic performance of BALF GM was superior to other biomarkers and the optimal cutoff value was 0.6.
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Functional constipation is a prevalent, burdensome gastrointestinal disorder whose treatment remains challenging. Combined therapy uniting multiple treatments may be promising. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) which tends to be an etiological treatment has been increasingly investigated in its management. Meanwhile, laxatives are widely used to relieve constipation temporarily, but their overall efficacy is poor. Therefore, we performed meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials to evaluate the joint efficacy of FMT and laxatives in functional constipation. ⋯ Combined therapy of FMT and laxatives may be a reasonably effective and safe treatment for people with functional constipation. However, caution is needed with the interpretation of these data due to the small sample size, high heterogeneity, and low quality of the studies. Besides, we expect that more studies will be performed exploring the efficacy and safety of combined therapy for functional constipation.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in major depression: A three-arm parallel-group dose-response randomized pilot trial.
The optimal dose (number of pulses per session) of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), using the H-coil, in major depressive disorder (MDD) has not previously been reported. ⋯ It is feasible to conduct a definitive trial investigating whether a higher number of magnetic pulses per treatment session gives a more rapid antidepressive response.